Tokyo Court Says Samsung Infringed Apple 'Bounce Back' Patent

Reutersreports on a decision from a Tokyo court ruling that Samsung has infringed Apple's "bounce back" patent. The report notes that the decision comes months after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled that the patent was invalid, but the agency reversed that decision just last week, reconfirming the validity of the key claim of Apple's patent.

Apple claimed that Samsung had copied the "bounce-back", in which icons on its smartphones and tablets quiver back when users scroll to the end of an electronic document. Samsung has already changed its interface on recent models to show a blue line at the end of documents.

In the past couple of months, the "bounce back" ruling has come under heavy scrutiny with a number of claims found invalid in multiple rulings. The invalid declaration allowed Samsung to continue to sell older phone models that used the feature.

But with that key claim being reconfirmed after reexamination last week, Apple has now defended it twice against challenges, giving the patent stronger presumptive validity in its court cases.

The patent was successfully used by Apple in its U.S. lawsuit against Samsung, which yielded a $1 billion judgment. In November, there will be a trial to redetermine the portion of damages that Samsung must pay Apple after the ruling was partly thrown out due to jury error.

Why don't more people want to see what Samsung could do instead of copying Apple?

You're making the large assumption that they could innovate instead of copy. Considering they Stabbed Sony in the back all those years ago and undercut them on TVs that were essentially the same as the one's they were making for Sony, I think the long term strategy has been pretty clear. Take (or become a "partner"), copy, advertise "Why pay more, we have same thing", make 200 variations each with some spec tweaked, crash the price/commoditize, starve the innovator, spend then next 10 years doing nothing but bumping specs until a new innovator shows a new idea, rinse, lather, repeat.

Why don't more people want to see what Samsung could do instead of copying Apple?

Every time Samsung copies Apple, we get LESS choice and LESS innovation in the market.

Why do some people seem to want Samsung to be a copycat? Sounds more fun, to me, to see what they come up with on their own. (In this case, a blue stripe--which sounds like it would serve the purpose just fine in a less fun way.) THAT would be competition worth having in the market. I would think Samsung fans would agree--just like Apple fans wouldn't want to see Apple slavishly clone Windows 8.

No, Samsung doesn't copy every little detail from Apple.... but they copy SO many SO slavishly that they're in a league all their own (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/09/28/no-comment-proof-that-samsung-shamelessly-copies-apple/). (They even went white when Apple did!) What would all those iPhone-alike products have been if Samsung acted more like other phone makers and went in their own direction? I'd love to have THAT choice in the market more often, and lazy clones less.

You're making the large assumption that they could innovate instead of copy. Considering they Stabbed Sony in the back all those years ago and undercut them on TVs that were essentially the same as the one's they were making for Sony, I think the long term strategy has been pretty clear. Take (or become a "partner"), copy, advertise "Why pay more, we have same thing", make 200 variations each with some spec tweaked, crash the price/commoditize, starve the innovator, spend then next 10 years doing nothing but bumping specs until a new innovator shows a new idea, rinse, lather, repeat.

I also remember the Samsung "BlackJack" clone of BlackBerry. And "bump to share"? iPhone has had that (via a very nice free app) since at LEAST the iPhone 3G. (I'd rather have AirDrop, and have never seen anyone "bump" in real life.) However, Samsung tries SOME new things sometimes, and imagine if they did it more? Android fans should be calling for that, not fighting to keep innovative pressure off of Samsung.

You're making the large assumption that they could innovate instead of copy. Considering they Stabbed Sony in the back all those years ago and undercut them on TVs that were essentially the same as the one's they were making for Sony, I think the long term strategy has been pretty clear. Take (or become a "partner"), copy, advertise "Why pay more, we have same thing", make 200 variations each with some spec tweaked, crash the price/commoditize, starve the innovator, spend then next 10 years doing nothing but bumping specs until a new innovator shows a new idea, rinse, lather, repeat.

"Page ends" aren't nearly as important as other aspects of a phone but patents do not increase consumer choice, they stifle innovation by locking concepts away into anti-commons so they cannot be recycled and reformed into other newer interface systems. They also block out other smaller companies from getting into the market. I couldn't give two ***** about Samsung, personally, as they too utilize patents and lock out concepts and ideas. But patents do not increase innovation, they only allow massive corporations an environment through which they can sit back on their laurels, a disincentive to innovation if there ever was one. Apple is but the fantastic exception that proves the rule, they are that rare larger corporation still capable of innovation but they are far from an excuse for the current system.

Why can't other companies innovate around patented technologies? By doing so, they'll be able to make a product that's potentially better than the existing product that uses the patented technology. If others can simply copy the patented technology with impunity, it would, in my opinion, result in nothing more than an unhealthy obsession with making a product cheaper. If other companies innovate around a patented technology, they can say that they're bringing something new to the table.

And if it weren't for patents, there would be no incentive to innovate. Why would anyone invest time and money into developing an idea only to watch others rip it off with impunity?

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